


The Other Shore

by NanakiBH



Category: Chrono Cross
Genre: (to maybe more), Before Battle, Enemies to Friends, Heart-to-Heart, M/M, Melancholy, Surprise Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-12 04:53:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9056158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NanakiBH/pseuds/NanakiBH
Summary: The solution to their problems was just another problem.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Chrono Cross is confusing. What was that ending? Boy.
> 
> I just want my favs to have a happy ending. And I saw that they were in desperate need of more fics, so here you go, Merry Christmas.
> 
> I'm not sure if I'm doing Karsh's verbal tic correctly. I think he's supposed to sound a bit like a yankee/delinquent. Norris's is easy because he speaks very formally without contractions. I've noticed that a lot of people leave out the tics when writing them in fics, but I think it helps the characters sound like themselves and theirs aren't the distracting kind.

There was a question on Norris's mind. One that he hadn't allowed himself to think about for very long. If he thought about it for long enough, and if he came to a conclusion regarding it, he was afraid of what his answer might spell for his ambition. His drive to step forward appeared fragile under inspection. So he turned his eyes away.

Everything he had done until that point... Infiltrating Viper Manor, eluding the scrutiny of the Dragoons to investigate them in Porre's name, then, meeting Serge...

That was the point where his grasp of his own reality began to break down. Serge took him to another dimension and showed him that there was another world where he existed as a different person. The similarities were there, to be sure, but the differences were the thing he noticed first and most prominently.

At a glance, he could tell that his other self found the revelation of another world just as startling. Looking at his face was like looking in a mirror, except the reflection was capable of moving on its own. With that simple thought, he realized how different things could be with the execution of any decision.

History was a tree and he was just one of its many branches.

But it felt clear that he wasn't fully in control of what future he walked toward. Someone else had laid the roots of history, and, just like every other branch, they were all reaching inevitably for the same sun.

Was there 'turning back'? No matter what decision he made, he couldn't be certain that there was a choice to make that hadn't already been made for him.

He wished that he could be young like Serge. Just nine years younger and he might've been able to face the future with a smile as wide as his, without a shred of cynicism. That would've been nice. As it was, he couldn't think about it without feeling something tighten inside of his chest. Those feelings were only compounded by the thoughts of what would happen _afterwards._

The future wouldn't come without consequence. That was the part he didn't want to think about.

 

“Going somewhere?”

 

Coming from behind, the sound of a familiar voice made Norris's feet halt. Norris turned around to regard the one who called. He wasn't going anywhere, exactly. He didn't know where he would be going if he were. Mind restless, his feet had simply picked him up and carried him elsewhere of their own accord. When he'd finally opened his eyes, so to speak, his feet were already planted in the Viper Manor courtyard. It was sort of mysterious and a little frightening, moved as if by the invisible hand of fate.

Thinking in abstracts was only going to worsen his mood, and the one who called him didn't seem to be in the best of places, either.

“Sir Karsh,” Norris said, bowing his head slightly. “What brings you out here so late?”

Stopping an arm's length away from him, Karsh crossed his arms over his chest, his posture rigid. “Didn't you hear me? I wanna know where you're going.”

How unexpected. It almost sounded as though Karsh were worried about him leaving.

Maybe. That might've been the case. Just not for the reasons that initially crossed Norris's mind. It was irresponsible and quite presumptuous of him to assume that Karsh would have any personal reason to wish him to stay. Though enemies otherwise, they'd agreed to a truce as long as they were following Serge in his search for the Frozen Flame. Most likely, Karsh was concerned that he might've lost his spine.

“I cannot stay here. I will have to return to Porre eventually,” he said. Once again, his thoughts began to stray and his eyes wandered to the sky above them. For some reason, it was too difficult to keep looking at the frustration on Karsh's face. The many stars above the manor did little to ease his unsettled heart.

He heard Karsh release an annoyed sound. “That- ...That wasn't what I was talking about.”

“I figured,” Norris said, looking back at Karsh's face. He gave him an amused smile. “Do you really believe that I would turn my back now after we have come so far? We are at the finish line now. Tomorrow, we will return to Opassa Beach where everything began and put an end to this. I will not falter now.”

Though, oddly, Karsh didn't appear to be completely pleased with his response. “Yeah... Of course,” he said.

Was he wrong? Had he misinterpreted what Karsh was thinking?

“Ah...” No. It all seemed too obvious after a moment's thought. Karsh was never as strong as he appeared on the outside. For a Dragoon so imposing, he was also an endearingly tender man on the inside with many feelings and insecurities. So, when a look like disappointment crossed Karsh's face, Norris understood what he was really trying to say. “Would you prefer I stay?”

“What does that-...?!” Karsh's shoulders jolted and he took a step back, an arm raised slightly as if to defend himself from whatever Norris was implying. “Who cares what you do? You were a spy, weren't you?”

A lot more than just a spy. In that world, he and the Porre army had successfully taken hold of Viper Manor. Regardless of that truce, Karsh should have been _glad_ that he didn't tell him that he and the army had further plans to arrest the area. Then again... Those were his own feelings. He couldn't speak for the other Norris – the one who really belonged to Karsh's world.

It felt unnatural, existing in the same time as another version of himself. He was surprised that he didn't cancel out his other self or vice versa. Either way, it didn't matter. He couldn't replace that Norris. The future wasn't solely in his hands, so there was no telling what would become of them once the Chrono Cross was used. That was up to fate.

“It sounds to me like you care a lot about what I do,” Norris said. Putting his hands behind his back, he turned and began walking slowly. He didn't look back, trusting that Karsh would follow as he walked along the stone path. “After all, what I do concerns you. However, I can assure you that I will return to Porre no matter what happens, whether I remain in this world or return to the other from which I came.”

He didn't make it very far before a hand was placed on his shoulder and pulled him to a halt.

“Cut it out, already!” Karsh said, his voice much louder than Norris expected. Startled, Norris looked around to make sure they hadn't unnecessarily drawn the attention of any of the troops standing guard outside. Karsh's eyes were on him, intense and heated with something Norris couldn't place. “You know that ain't what I mean. Maybe it just sounds unexpected coming from me. I know I seem like a guy who only thinks about what's on the surface, but there's no avoiding the deeper meaning of this situation.”

Eyes narrowing, Norris pulled himself away from Karsh's grasp and took a step back. That distance was vital. “I know. I know that,” he said. “You think I do not realize that?”

Karsh straightened back up and sniffed, smirking. “And here I thought you Porreans might've been cold-blooded. Well, then? If you understand, then why haven't you said anything about it?”

“Should I have to?” Norris asked, eyes still narrowed. He didn't want to come across sounding defensive, but that was exactly how he felt. To maintain his composure and his resolve, he needed to keep himself somewhat ignorant of the consequences of the decision they were facing.

Of _course_ he understood. It was insulting for Karsh or anyone to imply that he might not have realized what they were going to get themselves into, but he just _couldn't_ talk about it.

“Sir Karsh, I am sure that you must also feel the same sort of isolation in this group. Although Serge has many companions, we are all from different places with different circumstances. For no greater reason, it has been difficult for us to form a tight sense of camaraderie. There are many people around us, yet none in whom we can confide. Every one of us is afraid of what tomorrow will bring.” It felt a bit painful to put words to that feeling. “I do not stay silent because there is something for me to hide – I am silent to avoid speaking the unnecessary.”

The sound of the waves in the distance filled in the silence that followed his words.

Karsh really didn't seem like himself anymore. Something about the late hour must have changed him. The fact that he was willing to show him his vulnerable side must have meant something. Norris just wasn't sure what it meant.

“Then...” Karsh said, his gaze directed at the ground, shoulders limply sagging forward. “For a little while, could you forget the Karsh you know? Just for now, could you pretend that I'm a different one or someone else entirely?”

“That does not sound difficult. For all I am aware, there might a few thousand of you,” Norris teased. 

Karsh didn't look so amused. He didn't look much of anything, his face expressionless.

Norris wondered what the Karsh from his world would have been like if he'd met him. He wondered if he would have been as soft-hearted as the one standing in front of him.

Probably, he thought.

No man could kill his own best friend without also wounding himself.

“I won't beg you,” Karsh said.

For the sake of speaking openly, it was funny that he would ask him to try to think of him as someone else when speaking openly already made him sound totally different. Complying with his request would mean a personal sacrifice of Norris's behalf – one that he had painstakingly tried to avoid with all his might – but there was little he could do when faced with Karsh's sincerity.

Someone from the other world wanted to confide in _him._

“A 'please' would suffice for what you are asking me to do,” Norris said. He was able to let go of the breath he had unknowingly been holding when Karsh looked back up at him with a surprised face. “You want to know where I will really be going, is that right?”

Wordlessly, Karsh nodded.

It wouldn't have terribly mattered if the Porrean soldiers happened to overhear them, but something made Norris want to keep his voice lowered. It was like if he just spoke it quietly, then he could still somehow keep himself from hearing the unsavory truth.

“I do not know,” he said softly.

Karsh looked crestfallen even though he should have already known what he was going to say.

“So then what do you think's going to happen to this world?” Karsh asked, displaying the same kind of fearful apprehension they had seen in him when he first spoke about his old friend from the past. “I mean- I don't know if I really care about what's going to happen to _me_. I've done some terrible things. Even if I know it wasn't my fault, I still feel like there should've been something I could've done to save Dario. I know that I should carry on for him and see the future that he was unable to, but if there's no future for this world, then isn't that just a bunch of pointless self-indulgence?”

When he finished speaking, Norris simply stared for a few moments. He knew what was coming, but it was still odd to hear all of that coming from Karsh's mouth.

He looked at the ground, held a hand to his chin in thought. When his thoughts proved to be too many, he shook his head and beckoned for Karsh to follow, making his way toward the wall that guarded the perimeter of the manor.

Sitting in the grass, he tilted back his head and stared up at the sky. A second later, he was joined by a slightly reluctant Karsh who Norris watched from the corners of his eyes.

“I do not know,” Norris said again, drawing up his feet. It made him feel pathetic to admit that there was something that far beyond his understanding. “However... I have had a lot of thoughts about what could be. As a leader yourself, you must understand the importance of forethought and planning, but this does not seem to be an instance in which I can accomplish either of those things. There are many possibilities and none of them can I face alone.”

“But you aren't going to turn back now?” Karsh asked. He made it sound like that was supposed to be a viable option.

“Hm? Why would I?”

Karsh pulled up one of his knees to rest an elbow on, affecting a casual air. “I don't know. The kid would go ahead and do what he plans to do whether we help him or not. So in that case, haven't you even thought about sitting it out?”

“Would that not also be pointless self-indulgence?”

“Yeah, but you'd have the satisfaction of knowing that whatever happens, nothing was your fault.” He shrugged. “An entire world vanishes in the blink of an eye? No skin off your nose.”

He was awful at trying to hide his emotions.

Norris could tell that he didn't really believe that.

“I wonder if you have misjudged me,” Norris said. He stared at Karsh but was met only by his profile. “To believe that I had nothing to do with the destruction of a world would be arrogance. Whether by my own decision or by that of fate, I am already complicit.”

He was just telling him things that Karsh surely already knew. Norris wondered why he was making him repeat the obvious for him. Inside that tender heart of his, Karsh was probably an idealist... Just like him.

“I hope your world survives,” Karsh said. He didn't look up, but Norris could see the melancholic resignation hidden in his faraway gaze.

For a second, Norris's words were caught at the back of his tongue. When he was able to spit them out, they came out sounding incredulous. “What are you saying?”

Without skipping a beat, Karsh replied. “Dario is alive there, you know? The me of that world screwed up too, but as long as Dario is safe, then I feel like things are equal. There are things I can still accomplish, but there's a whole other world out there and it might be better than this one.” He laughed a humorless laugh. “I don't feel that bad about it. There's good and bad in both worlds, but between you and the Norris of this world, I think you're the better man. You must be if you were willing to give me a chance to talk like this.”

It wasn't like the thought hadn't crossed Norris's mind. He thought he'd considered nearly every possibility despite himself.

The thought that Serge's home world could be the 'true' or 'default' world that would remain should the other dimension be dispelled was a thought that should have reassured him. His world and Serge's world were one and the same, so if everything relied on Serge, then they would both be spared, but...

“You are not in that world.”

Karsh rested his back against the wall. “Yeah. I know. That's fi-”

“ _How is that fine?_ ”

He hadn't wanted to become emotional. He hadn't wanted to think about what would happen.

More than himself, Norris worried what would happen to everyone else.

“I get it. Your ego is not as grand as you pretend it to be. That does not impress me.” His accusation ignited Karsh's annoyance, but Norris didn't care. If Karsh wanted him to speak so badly, then Norris would have him listen to the terrible things he hadn't wanted to voice. “If we go to that beach and this world disappears, then what will become of you and everyone else who I have come to know? For what reason will we have done everything? The kindness I have shown the people here will be meaningless if I take a willful part in the destruction of their existence. And if that happens, will I even remember? I do not want to forget this moment.”

“This sucks.” That was an understatement. “I don't want that to happen, either. What if this world survives and I get stuck with that other Norris? He ain't you. He doesn't know all that we've been through. You and Serge are about the only two I can talk to like this.”

“Now do you understand why I wished to not speak of this? There are no satisfactory answers for these ponderings.”

With a frustrated groan, Karsh put his hands on his knees and pushed himself back up to standing. He paced around uncomfortably with a hand to his head, then stopped and stood still, staring at nothing.

He looked back down at Norris. “So we just gotta do it. There's no other way.”

It almost sounded like Karsh was asking him, but he must have finally acknowledged that how futile it was to ask, so his words were left rhetorical.

“Correct,” Norris replied. Back against the wall, he crossed his arms and closed his eyes. Even if it were just for a moment, he wanted to let his mind go blank, especially after discussing the dire uncertainty of their futures.

His eyes weren't closed for long. He was grabbed again; one of Karsh's hands wrapped tightly around his arm. Karsh gave his arm a tug and pulled him up to his feet with ease. Though, when he had him standing, Karsh didn't release him. His hand remained where it was, his fingers around his forearm, warm and visceral.

In the event that it would disappear and never be felt again, Norris tried to remember that sensation.

“You're a man of your word, right?”

Norris nodded.

“Then you better promise me something,” Karsh said. “When we face that thing, you better come back. You better make sure I see your face again.”

“Odd,” Norris laughed. “I thought you would rather never see me again. Are you sure you want to see this Porrean face back in these parts? Either way, I have a place I need to return to.”

“That's fine. As long as I know you're here somewhere, I don't care where you go.”

That was... surprisingly sweet.

Karsh still hadn't let him go. It was like he was trying to hold on to him until he was sure that he would return.

Smiling to himself, Norris broke past the carefully measured distance between them and came just close enough to place his lips against Karsh's cheek.

“In Porre, that is what we consider an expression of luck,” he lied.

An unusual silence came between them, forcing him to draw in a breath. Briefly, it made Norris worry that he might have done something unwanted, but the fear was dispelled from his mind as the hand holding his arm released him and grasped his jaw. What followed might have been a kiss, but it felt more like the punctuation to seal their promise.

Karsh let him go and stepped away in time as a patrolling guard walked by.

“That's cuz I wanted to,” he said, grinning as he began to walk away. He waved to him without saying good night.

Whatever happened, Norris hoped that their mysterious future would be a future without goodbye. If that promise was as good as his word, then he would meet him again on the other side of the shore.


End file.
